Titanium Man

This is a story of how I got the nick name titanium man.

Years ago, when I had my strokes, the neurosurgeon advised me of an incidental finding of a meningioma. A meningioma is a benign tumor. Occasionally the tumor grows and can become obnoxious. His advice was to just keep an eye on it. Of course, I didn't and just let it slip into oblivion. About 4 years later, close friends and family started to notice changes in my personality! I shrugged it off suggesting ’who were they to give medical advice to a doctor’!

As it turned out, I was suffering from the affects of a growing, and becoming obnoxious meningioma. I just ignored their suggestions!

In 2009, in retrospect, I noticed some decisions that I had made were incredibly stupid! Yikes!

In the fall and the beginning of winter 2013, I was unable to handle the charting system at work. They had developed paperless charting and I just couldn't do it. I thought I was, but I kept getting notices from medical records to get my charts done! At first, I thought it was a conspiracy. Then I was suspended until they were finished. Obviously, an affect from the meningioma.

I owned and operated an Urgent Care facility and one day, I had a ‘bad’ day and I just sold it on the spot! Also, during the pervious three years I had spent all my savings, not on taxes, but on lavish parties with friends and family. I had no money. Clearly, my behavior was being altered. I was always the good boy. I never even ran in the hallways as a child. I always obeyed the rules. It was critical in my thinking. It is interesting how much a meningioma can change one's behavior! So, now I have no job and my car was repossessed! My significant other took me into her apartment. It was around 1,000 square feet and there were 5 people (family) already living there. She took on another job to pay all the food costs, rent, utilities and auto payment, her own. I just slept and ate. I had no energy to do anything. I still hadn't figured out that something was wrong.

My history was one requiring significant cardiovascular fitness! I had already run 5 marathons, climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, kayaked in Northern Manitoba, climbed Mt. Whitney! Yet at that time, I did not have the energy to walk a few blocks. However, it never dawned on me that something was wrong! Yes, I tried to go to the hospital to finish my charts. The apartment I was staying at was only about 5 blocks from the hospital. She would drop me off to do my charts, and before she got home, I would call her and say, ‘I'm too tired, I need to come home’! Her reaction was ‘let me shower and then I'll come and get you’. It's 5 blocks!

Yikes, my mind said I could easily do that. So, I tired. I would have to stop and rest! She would

finish her shower and find me about halfway home. Several months into this, I had gained more than 50 pounds. One day she said, ‘you're getting fat! Let's go for a run’. Being the runner, at least in the past, I said yes, let's go! I was able to jog across the driveway and then I said, ‘can we just walk?’. So, we walked. We needed to cross the street. The street was 4 lanes but low traffic volume. I fell three times crossing the street. Each time I fell, Janice would say "OMG, are you in any pain?". She was in a state of panic and was wondering if I had suffered a heart attack or a stroke! I just told her my knee hurt from scrapping the ground when I fell. After the third fall I was diaphoretic, pale and to weak to even stand up. I was essentially blocking all traffic.

Janice is too small to try and carry my off to the side of the road. A vehicle was passing by and saw the dilemma. It was a ‘mom’ in her SUV. Between this person and Janice, they literally shoved into the back of her SUV, and she drove us home. By the time I got home, energy had returned enough for me to walk. I did and went into to shower. Janice was insistent that I do not shower, and we go directly to the hospital for evaluation. I was reluctant but acquiesced. We went to the hospital where I received CT scan of my brain. That meningioma I was supposed to keep an eye on, was when a huge mass! Was herniating it had grown so big! I was shuttled to another facility that could perform surgery. The story gets a little more convoluted

at this point, but it will make this story so much longer. Just some foot notes to the events. I left AMA (against medical advice) sought counsel from my neurosurgeon friend who diagnosed it in the first place and then went back to the hospital.

When I returned to the hospital I was in rare form! I was rude to the nurses, staff and all personnel including my roommate who was an old man waiting for g-tube placement. His wife stayed at his bedside all night long. She was hard of hearing and received a phone call from back east where it was already morning time, just not on the Pacific Coast! She felt bad that her talking was keeping me awake. She left a copy of their wedding music disc on my bed while I was in surgery. They had been married for over 50 years and she was quite proud. A very nice gesture from someone I had screamed at earlier, sorry!

My surgery went well. They removed the meningioma successfully! No radiation or chemotherapy needed! I finished my charts and was put back on the schedule after three weeks of recuperation! They removed part of my skull and replaced it with................................................. Yes, you guessed it! Titanium! I am on Keppra chronically for the potential seizure. I have very little in the way of deficits and still practice emergency medicine at very busy hospitals!

Can't wait to see you guys on the mountain!

Dr. C. — out!